Time in a bottle
by MrsChaucersSquire
Summary: An angst-filled look at the alcohol drinking mentioned on the show. However, there is a hopeful ending when Gibbs realizes he still has a family after all. Ends during the episode "Silent Night".


Time in a bottle

He took a swig of the good stuff, and swallowed hard. He washed the dull ache of his life away, unaware of the fact that his child could see him. It wouldn't matter anyway. The boy was nothing but a nuisance. His constant ploys for attention only serve to make the father want to drink more. DiNozzo, Sr. could see the image of his widow mirrored in the child's face every time he saw the brat, and it drove him to the bottle even more. And the years passed unnoticed. Time in a bottle.

Jackson Gibbs' child was gone. He'd left for the military as soon as he was eligible. His ex-wife was gone. And his life was gone, not that he had noticed. He still had his shop, he still had the townsfolk who stopped by to wish him well and share a beer. And most of all he still had his beer. A cold one here and there seemed to make him forget the passing of time. His relationship with his son had gotten better when Jethro had married Shannon, but even that had passed when his daughter-in-law and granddaughter died. He said he drank to socialize, but in reality he drank to speed the passage of time. And the decades passed. Time in a bottle.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs' wife was gone. His daughter was gone. And in his mind, his life was gone. The only solace he had was the ability to chase down other low down rotten good for nothing criminals and send them to prison to rot. He had killed the bastard that had murdered his family but the destruction of criminals, buy death or impressments, never seemed to numb the pain. But he knew what could numb this thought. He knew what would numb his life. He drank another swig of the bourbon and continued to sand his boat. And the years passed. Time in a bottle.

Abby was scared and she knew it. She felt ashamed off the fear. It was her fault for dating the psycho, it was her fault for not telling Gibbs when he started bugging her. And it was her fault that she didn't even feel safe in the inner sanctum of Gibbs basement. So she drank to numb the shame and the pain. She drank to erase it all. And the hours passed. Time in a bottle.

Jen was dead, and Tony knew it was his fault. Yes, he was aware that she was going to die of cancer anyway, but the thought did not seem to ease his pain. His guilt would have been hard to deal with no matter the circumstance, but being here, trapped on a boat, he had no outlet. He had no family to turn to, no Ducky to talk to, and no Gibbs to slap him upside the head. He could not handle the guilt and the pain, so he tried to numb it. He tried to numb the distance and blame he felt. He tried to numb his life. And the months passed. Time in a bottle.

Gibbs held the picture of his team drawn by the lost-and-found marine in his hand. It was Christmas, and he had just dropped the elderly man off at his grown daughter's house. As Gibbs stared through the window he again mourned the loss of his wife and daughter. He momentarily considered going home and hitting the bottle. Instead, he looked at the picture in his hand. Gibbs had them all back again. The team was finally whole. And it had been a hell of a fight. He also had his Dad back again, and after years of distance, they were beginning on a path of reconciliation. He had a family and they were all waiting for him to come to them! The team was back at the office, wanting him to join them for a movie party and his Dad was in Stillwater waiting for a call from him.

Suddenly, it hit him that this year's Christmas could have been very different. He had people who cared about him and he had people who he cared about! Why was he letting the precious time he could be spending with them go to waste? He wanted to save that time. He knew what it meant to loose the time he had with his loved ones and he wanted to save every moment. Like that old Jim Croce song said… "If I could save time in a bottle, the first thing that I'd like to do, is save every day, till eternity passes away, just to spend them with you." He picked up his cell phone and called his dad as he started the drive back to NCIS. He wasn't going to waste anymore days. He was going to save them. Just like "Time in a Bottle."


End file.
